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njbiology

Can I grow these native weeds in my wildflower garden?

njbiology
15 years ago

I would like to allow some english plantain, red clover, dock, toadflax, and burdock to grow in my wildflower/native grass garden section of the yard.

These (above) are host plants for local butterfly species. I would think that as long as I prepare the soil well, seed sufficiently, and have a good flower to grass seed ratio, a few native weeds will not over take the garden - maybe a year after it is first established?

Thanks,

Steven

Comments (6)

  • amelanchier
    15 years ago

    Well, most of those aren't actually native to North America! English plantain, red clover, and the common docks and burdocks that grow in my yard aren't. I guess they could be considered naturalized, but I don't know whether our butterflies have yet evolved to make good use of them.

  • joepyeweed
    15 years ago

    You can grow anything you want in your wildflower garden.

    However, some places have a list of noxious weeds that are listed in local ordinances that you cannot grow by law. You may want to check your local ordinances, burdock may be on that list. I doubt the others would be. The list and enforcement varies from county to county.

    And recognize that not all of those that you have listed are necessarily "native"...

  • ladyslppr
    15 years ago

    I agree that none of the plants you are interested in growing are native, and that makes me wonder if they are really host plants for local butterfly species. Most of them are really common in the wild, and I would think any butterfly that uses them as a host plant should be equally common. I would take some time to examine your local wild weeds and see if you can find caterpillars or caterpillar damage on them. If you find none, that indicates that they really aren't a significant host plant.

    However, any of them should be quite easy to grow. I find English Plantain to be a really fast spreader in the graden and in my lawn, and I would instead consider Common Plantain, which is still a weed but doesn't seem to spread as fast. Red Clover can be a pretty nice addition to a meadow, and is not among the bad weeds around here, at least I don't consider it one. Docks are very hard to remove once planted, so be selective in where you allow them to grow. Same goes for toadflax (aka butter and eggs) which spreads vegetatively and is hard to completely remove - I have tried for years without getting it all. Burdock is the largest of the group. A single plant can spread to a four by four foot size and reach six feet tall, so if you want to grow burdock give it lots of space.

  • cheryl25
    15 years ago

    Red clover is pretty but I hope you want it forever.
    Ditto what everyone else said.

  • brendan_of_bonsai
    15 years ago

    Toadflax sucks. I have spent at least 50 hours removing it from our quarter acre and it looks untouched. No pests bother it and nothing eats it. With the exception of red clover (why not purple prairie clover, a US native?) I think that all of those are noxious weeds in my part of the country and if someone planted them on purpose in my state I think I might sue.

  • groundskeeperwenthe
    15 years ago

    It seems your goal it to provide hostplants for native animals. That is an honorable endeavor. Kudos to you.

    However it seems you are trying to grow everything under the sun in an attempt to get the native critters.

    Native fauna aren't picky on which host plant they use. And most of the plants you listed are non-native AND really really ugly.

    I think you'd be better off culling your list. you'll still get the fun visitors but won't get stuck with the problems that come with these pesky plants.

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